2011 GLIAC Football Composite Schedule Announced

BAY CITY, Mich. - The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced its 2011 composite football schedule.  The 2011 NCAA Division II football season kicks off on the weekend of Sept. 1-3.

Click here for schedule on GLIAC web site

Click here for printer-friendly (PDF) version of schedule

The opening weekend slate features 10 non-conference contests, highlighted by two games with GLIAC teams playing each other in non-conference games. Hillsdale College will play at Ferris State University Friday, September 2 at 7:30 and the University of Findlay will travel to Northwood University Saturday for a noon kick-off. The games are considered non-conference even though they match GLIAC foes against one another because the teams do not appear on each other’s conference schedules.

The 2011 conference schedule will feature the two GLIAC division winners on the opening weekend of September 10. Grand Valley State University, the North Division Champion, will play at Hillsdale, the South Division Co-Champion. Both teams made the playoffs last year and will likely be in the preseason top 25.

The GLIAC will be featured on October 20 in the CBS College Sports Division II "Game of the Week" for a Thursday night game which pits Ashland University against Saginaw Valley State University at Harvey Randall Wickes Stadium in a nationally-televised 8:00 p.m. contest. The Cardinals look for revenge after a 30-24 loss last year at Ashland.

October 22 is a much anticipated game that will see Wayne State University travel to Hillsdale for a matchup of the GLIAC Co-South Division Champions from the 2010 season. Wayne State was able to pull out a 14-9 victory in last season’s game.

The GLIAC regular season schedule wraps up on Saturday, Nov. 12.  That day's slate of games includes the "Battle of the Valleys" when Saginaw Valley State invades Allendale, Michigan for a clash with Grand Valley State.

The first round of the NCAA Playoffs begins on Saturday, Nov. 19, with the NCAA Division II Football championship game being held on Saturday, Dec. 17 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama.